Centcom said the Iranian attacks were repelled as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz toward the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. Iranian forces fired several missiles and used drones and small boats as three US ships passed through the strait.
The US military “neutralized” the threats and attacked Iranian military facilities that were responsible for the attacks on US forces – including missile and drone launch pads, command and control centers and reconnaissance and surveillance centers, it said. No escalation is being sought, but US forces will be protected.
The strait is crucial to the global economy, among other things, because of exports of oil and liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf states. Iran has brought shipping in the passage to a virtual standstill with attacks and threats since the start of the war. The USA, in turn, has now imposed a blockade on ships leaving or heading to Iranian ports.
The Iranian military accused the US of violating the ceasefire. The US military attacked an Iranian oil tanker that was traveling from Iran’s coastal waters towards the Strait of Hormuz, the pro-government broadcaster Press TV quoted Iranian headquarters Khatam al-Anbiya as saying.
According to Press TV, the Iranian military further accused the USA of carrying out air strikes on civilian areas along the coast and the island of Gheshm in the Strait of Hormuz with the support of “regional countries”. The Iranian armed forces responded immediately and attacked US military ships east of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media had previously reported several explosions in the Persian Gulf. There has been a ceasefire in the Iran war for over a month. However, military tensions remain high. US President Donald Trump had recently expressed optimism that an agreement could soon be reached with the leadership in Tehran. (sda/dpa)